Providence Water Supply BoardNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Providence Water Supply BoardWed, 07 Feb 2018 02:40:49 +0000Providence Water Supply Boardhttp://ripr.org
Ian DonnisThe political heat is rising, slowly but surely, as we move closer to election season. So thanks for stopping by for my weekly column. As usual, your tips and comments are welcome , and you can follow me through the week on the twitters . Here we go. 1. Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza seems like a happy guy these days and it's easy to see why: he can use his State of the City address Tuesday to crow about how Rhode Island's capital city is boasting a surplus, along with a rainy day fund and a two-notch improvement in its credit rating; the mayor and his girlfriend, Stephanie Gonzalez , are expecting a baby in a few months; the first-term mayor is a favorite for re-election this November, and Elorza, a Patriots' season-ticket holder, will get to see his team (from the comfort of home) back in the Super Bowl this weekend. In putting Providence finances on a better track, Elorza likens his approach to a physician: "Like a doctor, you have to stabilize the patient, you have to stop theTGIF: 22 Things To Know About Rhode Island Politics & Mediahttp://ripr.org/post/tgif-22-things-know-about-rhode-island-politics-media-51
93745 as http://ripr.orgFri, 02 Feb 2018 21:59:04 +0000Scott MacKayRhode Island state government tackled public employee pensions in a landmark 2011 retirement system overhaul. But RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay says that law didn’t end the local pension obligations that still haunt many communities.Scott MacKay Commentary: Rhode Island's Local Public Pension Messhttp://ripr.org/post/scott-mackay-commentary-rhode-islands-local-public-pension-mess
89966 as http://ripr.orgFri, 03 Nov 2017 18:04:24 +0000Scott MacKay Commentary: Rhode Island's Local Public Pension MessChuck HinmanThe Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank has announced new financing of $19.2 million in drinking water projects for the town of Cumberland and the Providence Water Supply Board.$19.2M Announced For Providence Water Supply Board And Cumberland Water Projectshttp://ripr.org/post/192m-announced-providence-water-supply-board-and-cumberland-water-projects
86319 as http://ripr.orgMon, 07 Aug 2017 13:40:59 +0000$19.2M Announced For Providence Water Supply Board And Cumberland Water ProjectsScott MacKayThe Providence City Council has been ensnared in controversy of late. RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay wonders why the council is so ineffective.Scott MacKay Commentary: Providence's Dysfunctional City Councilhttp://ripr.org/post/scott-mackay-commentary-providences-dysfunctional-city-council
82256 as http://ripr.orgFri, 05 May 2017 18:33:19 +0000Scott MacKay Commentary: Providence's Dysfunctional City CouncilXimena CondeProvidence city officials are facing criticism for backing legislation that aims to create a regional water authority in the state.Proposal For A Regional Water Board Raises Concerns Over Long-Term Increase In Costshttp://ripr.org/post/proposal-regional-water-board-raises-concerns-over-long-term-increase-costs
82100 as http://ripr.orgWed, 03 May 2017 02:14:14 +0000Proposal For A Regional Water Board Raises Concerns Over Long-Term Increase In CostsJohn BenderMembers of the Providence City Council passed a resolution formally opposing plans by the town of Johnston to sell water from the capital city to a proposed power plant in Burrillville. The deal is controversial because Johnston purchases water from Providence. The resolution is largely ceremonial, and councilors heard from legal counsel, who advised there is little that can hamper the deal. Providence City Solicitor Jeffery Dana says the city is compelled to provide water to Johnston as part of a 1915 state law. “The water has to be provided, and the only basis for restriction would be a drought, so that such restriction would be necessary to protect and conserve the water supply,” said Dana. Officials with the Providence Water Supply Board testified the agency has no oversight over how the water is used by wholesale customers like Johnston. Currently, Johnston buys more than 500 million gallons of water a year. The town has no formal contract with the water agency, other than theProvidence May Have Little Power To Stop Johnston Water Dealhttp://ripr.org/post/providence-may-have-little-power-stop-johnston-water-deal
78019 as http://ripr.orgThu, 26 Jan 2017 16:32:36 +0000Providence May Have Little Power To Stop Johnston Water DealScott MacKayChristopher Nocera, a longtime Providence political operative, Elmhurst neighborhood activist and City Hall fixture, died suddenly last night. He was 60. A burly man with an infectious sense of humor, Nocera was instrumental in Patrick Kennedy’s 1988 campaign for state representative in Elmhurst and Mount Pleasant that launched the career of Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s son, who later became a Congressman. Nocera put together a fine ground voter turn-out effort that propelled Kennedy to victory over then Rep. Jack Skeffington, a Mount Pleasant funeral director. Skeffington was the incumbent in a neighborhood election that attracted national, even international, news coverage because it was the first campaign of Kennedy, who hails from America's most famous Democratic family. ``He was clearly the guy to know in the neighborhood,'' Kennedy recalled today. ``He was a very jovial and gregarious personality, which totally made up for my lack of a personality.'' Kennedy said that it was Nocera andR.I.P. Chris Nocerahttp://ripr.org/post/rip-chris-nocera
53927 as http://ripr.orgFri, 17 Jul 2015 15:59:14 +0000R.I.P. Chris NoceraFlo JonicA boil water order remains in effect for 25,000 customers of the Kent County Water Authority after tests showed the water was contaminated with E. coli bacteria School was held Monday in West Warwick but it wasn’t completely business as usual. Bottled water was trucked in Sunday afternoon, as soon as school officials learned of the problem with E. Coli bacteria in the water supply. And other changes were made to keep kids safe, according to Kenneth Townsend, the school department’s director of property services. “Each of the bubblers in all of our schools have been covered over and bagged and signs put on them telling them not to drink the water. Precautionary measures were taken and the sinks were shut down,” said Townsend. “And signs were put above the sinks and the students have been told to wash their hands with hand sanitizer for now.” The boil water order was a challenge for restaurants too. Briana Ferranti manages the Grille on Main in East Greenwich, one of the towns affectedSchools, Businesses Grapple With Contaminated Water From Kent Countyhttp://ripr.org/post/schools-businesses-grapple-contaminated-water-kent-county
22114 as http://ripr.orgMon, 23 Sep 2013 20:46:09 +0000Schools, Businesses Grapple With Contaminated Water From Kent CountyCatherine WelchThe public is invited to comment Tuesday on a proposed rate increase by the Providence Water Supply Board. Because Providence sells its water to other municipalities, the rate increase would affect residents in nearly 60 percent of the state. It’s the first rate hike in four years, and for city residents it means a 24 percent increase. The water board says that’s an additional $6.00 for the average customer. For the cities of Warwick and East Providence, and for the Kent County and Bristol County water authorities, rates would go up 32 percent. Boyce Spinelli is the board’s general manager, he says most of the rate increase will pay for updating miles of rusty, old pipes. “We want to make sure that when people open their tap the water quality they get is the same as it is when it leaves our plant,” said Spinelli. “And in order to do that, we have to upgrade or replace a lot of the water mains that we have, some of them dating back to the 1800’s.” Tuesday night’s public hearing is at 6PUC Will Hear From Public on Providence Water Rate Hike Requesthttp://ripr.org/post/puc-will-hear-public-providence-water-rate-hike-request
17056 as http://ripr.orgTue, 18 Jun 2013 05:19:00 +0000PUC Will Hear From Public on Providence Water Rate Hike RequestScott MacKayIf there is one government service most Rhode Islanders take for granted, it’s the drinking water that flows from our faucets. RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay says that may not be the case in the future. One of Rhode Island’s grand assets is the millions of gallons of water that flows every day from the Scituate Reservoir to the sinks, bubblers and bathtubs that serve 60 percent of our state. In a state with a serious inferiority complex about so much, our water is the boast of a small state. We have some of the nation’s most plentiful, cheap and clean water. Yet, as is the case with other precious resources, Rhode Island needs to move now to protect what we have and prepare for the future. The Providence Water Supply Board controls the reservoir and the treatment and piping systems that deliver pure water from communities in the East Bay to the Pawtuxet River watershed. Begun in 1915, the reservoir by the mid-1920s flooded a natural bowl at the headwaters of the North Branch ofThe Murky Future of Rhode Island's Water Supplyhttp://ripr.org/post/murky-future-rhode-islands-water-supply
16647 as http://ripr.orgMon, 10 Jun 2013 12:33:37 +0000The Murky Future of Rhode Island's Water SupplyScott MacKayIf there is one government service most Rhode Islanders take for granted, it’s the drinking water that flows from our faucets. RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay says that may not be the case in the future. One of Rhode Island’s grand assets is the millions of gallons of water that flows every day from the Scituate Reservoir to the sinks, bubblers and bathtubs that serve 60 percent of our state. In a state with a serious inferiority complex about so much, our water is the boast of a small state. We have some of the nation’s most plentiful, cheap and clean water. Yet, as is the case with other precious resources, Rhode Island needs to move now to protect what we have and prepare for the future. The Providence Water Supply Board controls the reservoir and the treatment and piping systems that deliver pure water from communities in the East Bay to the Pawtuxet River watershed. Begun in 1915, the reservoir by the mid-1920s flooded a natural bowl at the headwaters of the North Branch ofTime to take RI water seriouslyhttp://ripr.org/post/time-take-ri-water-seriously
16543 as http://ripr.orgFri, 07 Jun 2013 17:22:53 +0000Time to take RI water seriouslyThe Providence Water Supply Board is looking to raise its rates. There’s a public hearing at the state Public Utility Commission Wednesday on a proposal to raise residential rates by 24 percent and wholesale rates by 32 percent. Because 60 percent of the state gets its water from Providence, the rate hike will be felt across much of Rhode Island. Joining morning host Chuck Hinman in the studio with more is Rhode Island Public Radio news director Catherine Welch. CHUCK: Catherine, this sounds like more than a rate hike for people who live in Providence. Who besides Providence residents buy water for the city? CATHERINE: Here’s how it works, the Providence Water Supply Board owns the Scituate reservoir and it sells some of its water to what it calls “wholesale customers” such as the Kent County Water Authority, the Bristol County Water Authority and City of East Providence. Those water authorities have their own pipes and in turn sell Providence’s water to their residents. CHUCK: So itProvidence Water Supply Board Seeks Rate Hikehttp://ripr.org/post/providence-water-supply-board-seeks-rate-hike
16340 as http://ripr.orgWed, 05 Jun 2013 05:41:00 +0000Providence Water Supply Board Seeks Rate Hike